Daher, Safran, and Collins Aerospace are joining forces with French start-up Ascendance to develop hybrid-electric propulsion systems for general aviation. The partners announced the joint effort on Wednesday at the Paris Air Show, saying they will prioritize technology for six- to 10-seat aircraft.

Called TAGINE (Tentative dans l’Aviation Général d’Introduction de Nouvelles Énergies), the two-year project has financial support from France’s civil aviation authority (DGAC) and the civil aviation research council (CORAC).

SkyWest Airlines aims to bolster its position as the world’s largest operator of Embraer’s E-Jets through a $3.6 billion deal signed at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday. The U.S. carrier placed firm orders for 60 E175s and secured purchase rights for 50 more.

Deliveries are set to begin in 2027 to SkyWest, which operates regional connections throughout North America for carriers including Delta, United, American, and Alaska Airlines. Its fleet already includes 263 Embraer aircraft, and it has 16 more on order.

Airbus and NATO procurement agency OCCAR have signed an agreement that will see production of the A400M airlifter secured for the foreseeable future, as well as the joint development of additional capabilities and efforts to lower operating costs. Until 2029, production will be stabilized at an optimum rate of eight aircraft per year, achieved by bringing forward build slots for four aircraft for France and three for Spain.

Meanwhile, Airbus continues to develop the A400M and add new capabilities, including firefighting and the use of the aircraft for standoff jamming. It is also being proposed as a mothership for remote carriers of varying sizes. In this role, the A400M could release swarms of uncrewed air systems and then control them from onboard.

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and ATR have agreed to work together to develop propulsion systems for a new generation of turboprop regional airliners. Under a partnership announced on Monday at the Paris Air Show, the companies plan to focus on increasing the efficiency, performance, and operating economics of engines that could power aircraft such as ATR’s Evo concept.

The current ATR 42 and ATR 72 commuters are fitted with PW127XT turboprops. ATR and P&WC said their engineers will focus on innovations. For example, they aim to increase thermal efficiency to reduce fuel burn; apply advanced materials to improve engine durability and reliability, reducing maintenance costs; and refine aircraft aerodynamics by optimizing engine, nacelle, and aircraft integration.

Another step in the development of a more compact engine core for the future of flight.

TotalEnergies is ramping up production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to more than half a million tonnes annually in the coming years as Europe heads toward a 6% SAF blend mandate in 2030.

To get there, TotalEnergies has built up SAF capacity at several of its refineries and recently invested €500 million into its biorefinery in Grandpuits, France, to transform the site into a zero-crude platform. As a biorefinery, the site will have a production capacity of 230,000 tonnes in 2026. TotalEnergies has teamed up with Germany-based Saria Bioindustries, which collects organic materials that will serve as the majority of the feedstock supply.

Honeywell Aerospace Technologies is “stepping into a new era” as it prepares to emerge as a separate entity, spinning off from the giant conglomerate.

Earlier this year, the Honeywell board agreed to fully separate its automation and aerospace technologies business lines, in addition to its previous decision to spin off advanced materials. Once completed in the latter half of 2026, the result would break Honeywell into three individual publicly listed entities.

Czech manufacturer PBS Group has unveiled the most powerful turbine powerplant in its portfolio to date: the 513-pound-thrust TJ200 jet engine. The introduction this week at the Paris Air Show follows a rigorous testing program and paves the way for initial applications, the company said.

Developed at its main production plant in Velká Biteš in the Czech Republic, the PBS TJ200 marks a “new technical concept” for the company that has a product line of motors with a tensile range of 0.4 to 1.5 kilonewtons (kN).

France’s DGA defense procurement agency has selected Daher and Thales as the main partners in a consortium to develop a medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) drone demonstrator. As part of efforts to expedite the availability of sovereign French capability by 2030, the partners have committed to conducting a remotely-piloted flight demonstration and providing a full technical specification by the end of 2026.

Daher will provide an as-yet unspecified aircraft platform to be combined with Thales’ ground station, ground-to-air data link, and flight control system. DGA said the forthcoming MALE platform is intended to complement France’s current drone capability.

The digital flip-through issue of AIN’s award-winning Paris Airshow News is now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from Paris Air Show 2025, whether you’re at Le Bourget attending the show or watching from afar.